Fear that we seek:
Here we must learn an important lesson: fear should not be an end in itself, but a means towards an end. When that end -- the ultimate pleasure of Allah The Almighty -- is attained, there is no need for fear. There is no fear upon the people of Paradise, nor do they grieve. Fear is associated with actions, while love is connected with the creation and their attributes. The true and praiseworthy fear is that which stops a person from the prohibitions of Allah. However, when fear exceeds this boundary, it may bring hopelessness and despair. Abu ‘Uthmaan said, 'Sincerity of fear is avoidance of sins, open and secret. I also heard Shaykh-ul Islam Ibn Taymiyyah say, 'The praiseworthy fear is that which prevented you from the prohibitions of Allah.'" [Madaarij As-Saalikeen by Ibn Al-Qayyim]
The embarrassing question:
Now that you know some incidents about our Prophet, , his noble Companions as well as the righteous predecessors, you have to question yourself: Why were they afraid while we are not? Why did they greatly fear Allah in this manner although they acted sincerely? Why do we not fear Allah in the same way even though we act with negligence to a large extent? Here you have the answer of this question. You should know that there are reasons for this fear which did not depart either from the hearts or the minds of those people. Such reasons led them to this high level of fear of Allah The Almighty. When we neglected these reasons, our hearts hardened and became heedless of what was intended for us (when we were created).
One of the most important reasons is the hearts' negligence of the scenes of the Hereafter; both the scenes of bliss as well as those of misery. It was narrated that Hanthalah said, "The Messenger of Allah used to tell us about Paradise and Hell and it was as if we could see them with our very eyes."
Thus, your heart should know about this day in this world in order to be acquainted with what will happen. In doing so, the heart is alerted to what is intended for it and consequently it becomes full of fear of Allah The Almighty Who resurrects the dead and to Him belong all matters.
You can start by listening to some recorded materials about the Hereafter by the callers who are known for discussing Ar-Raqaa’iq (heart-softening narrations). One can also get a book describing the scenes of the Hereafter.
One of the other important practical means that help you develop the fear of Allah The Almighty is to frequently remember this Hadeeth (narration): "By My might, I shall not combine in My slave two fears and two securities, for, if he fears Me in this world, I shall make him secure on the Day of Resurrection; and if he feels secure about Me (does not fear Me) in this world, I shall terrify him on the Day of Resurrection."
Whenever yourself whispers to you to do an act of disobedience or to neglect an act of obedience, you should remind it of this Hadeeth, which tells us that security and safety in the Hereafter will only be for those who fear the position of Allah in this worldly life. You should remind yourself about this Hadeeth, perhaps the heart may soften and the self becomes humble and submissive.
The conclusion is by Al-Ishbeeli:
Perhaps Al-Ishbeeli addresses you when he says,
You may consider performing two Rak‘ahs (units of prayer) at night in which you recite one or two Hizbs (portions) of the Quran as something long; or you may show your inability to walk for a mile in order to fulfill a Muslim's need. Regardless, you will face this long day and severe hardship. Such a day will be short only for those who exert their utmost to please Allah The Almighty and easy only for those who experienced hardships for the sake of Allah.
Perhaps when you perform these two Rak‘ahs one night, you will not be able to do so the next. Perhaps when you fulfill a Muslim's need once, you may flee from doing this another time and become annoyed and bored. However, you may walk one, two or more miles than this for insignificant matters. Nevertheless, if you reflect on your affairs and think about what is required from you, this will make many difficult matters easy for you and many distant things near to you. So, you should work on short days and during a short life for long days and a long life.